Burning Inside
by Lgbabyblu
Summary: Set back when the Hardy crew is only in the beginning years of high school. This story is written to explore the realms of how people shouldn't judge or bully people. Small acts of kindness are never small to others.
1. Chapter 1

"Come on baby brother, get up!" Frank said, shaking his brother who was buried under his covers.

The blond haired, blue eyed, 14 year old only groaned a reply, moving away from his year older, brown haired, brown eyed brother Frank.

"Joe… Come on. Do I really need to do this every single day of the year? We're going to be late for school." Frank said again, waiting for a reply, but getting none. "Fine, you've resort me to it." Frank pounced on the prone figure and started to tickle him mercifully.

Joe started laughing hard; trying to push his brother off of him, but Frank had grown a lot between freshman and sophomore year. Eventually, he ended up on the floor, tangled in between his sheets and Frank was looking down on him on his bed amused. Joe looked up at Frank with a confused, tired, and angry look on his face.

"I was going to get up." Joe said with a hoarse, morning voice while attempting to sit up but his foot got trapped in a loop in his sheets.

He started to fall over and ended up landing on his behind. Frank started laughing, and laughed even harder when Joe scowled at him, rubbing his sore spot.

"I'll let you take care of yourself, while I go downstairs for breakfast." Frank said, moving towards the door as a pillow came flying his way.

He caught it with ease, throwing it back at the angry figure sitting on the floor. Giving off a triumphant smile, he left the room and followed the smell of pancakes to the kitchen.

"Good Morning Mom." Frank said, giving his mom a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Good Morning. You're cheerful today." Laura smiled, putting a plate of pancakes in front of Frank.

"Thanks mom." Frank said, with a skip in his step. "Why wouldn't I be? Beautiful day, beautiful life…" He sat in his usual spot at the table before adding in. "And most of all, beautiful mom."

"Awww Frankie." Laura said, going over to her first born, and giving him a peck on the cheek. "Where's your brother?" Laura asked her 15 year old, brown haired son.

Laura smiled, knowing exactly what was keeping her youngest. Although her two boys had a close bond, they were as opposite as opposite could get. Her oldest Frank took after his father Fenton Hardy with brown hair, brown eyes, and a tall, lean figure, while Joe took after her with blond hair, blue eyes, and a shorter stature. While Frank was studious, and took things with a logical approach, Joe was obviously louder, more outspoken, outgoing, and took everything emotionally.

Every morning was almost the same with Frank waking up earlier for a morning jog while Joseph slept in. It almost always ended up with Frank having to drag Joe out of bed.

Finally after eating 2 pancakes, Frank could hear his younger brother stumbling, slowly down the steps.

Joe rubbed his eyes while trying to cover up his yawn.

"G' Morning Mom." Joe said, while dropping his backpack and track and field gear on the floor near the stairs.

"Good Morning baby." Laura said, giving Joe a kiss on the cheek.

"Hurry up and eat something. I don't want to be late to school again." Frank said, as Joe rolled his eyes.

Joe mumbled a reply as he stuffed his strawberry covered pancake into his mouth in less than a minute.

"Mmokay. Mets mo." Joe said with his mouth full.

Frank chuckled. Ever since him and Joe had started going to school together again, no morning was ever boring.

Frank bent down to grab his gear before following Joe as his younger brother took hold of his own gear from the stairs before running out the door.

When Frank got out to his new and yet old car, he saw Joe was already in his seat waiting for him.

"Now whose slow now?" Joe taunted while sticking his tongue out at Frank who glared at him.

"Whatever my slow, younger brother. Now let me concentrate on my driving." Frank said as he placed his duffel bag and backpack on the backseat before getting behind the wheel.

After a short 5 minute drive, Frank pulled into the school parking lot and quickly located a parking spot.

Joe got out of his seat and opened the back passenger seat door to get his backpack and duffel bag.

"Hey Joe! Hey Frank!" Biff said from across the parking lot from his car.

Biff was a long time friend of the Hardy boys with his buff stature. No one really wanted to mess with him, but inwardly, he was a nice, kind-hearted guy who the Hardy boys could trust their life on.

"Hey Biff. You seem excited today." Joe said with a laugh.

"Well I happened to have gotten on the varsity baseball team." Biff said with a fake strut that made Frank and Joe laugh.

"What's up with Biff?" Chet asked as the rest of gang that consisted of Phil, Chet's younger sister Iola, and Iola's best friend Callie walked over to the car.

Chet, Iola and Callie were freshmen at Bayport High school while Biff and Phil were sophomores. Chet would have been a sophomore, but he was held back a year after being sick for a long period of time in the 2nd grade.

"Biff got onto the varsity baseball team." Frank repeated.

"Wow, that's great Biff!" Iola said with a congratulatory smile. "I guess we'll just have to treat you to something special."

"Awww, you don't have to. Besides I'll be too busy to have any treat of any sort until the season is over." Biff said with an exasperated sigh.

"Well we better get going children." Frank said in a sarcastic, stern voice.

Everyone looked at Frank with a funny look and gave him a light hearted push.

"Hey! Kind of rude..." Frank said, feigning his hurt.

"We've got loads of time before the bell…" Joe began to say just as the 1st bell that signaled that they had 5 minutes to get to class rung.

"Now what did I hear you say?" Frank said with an 'I told you so' grin.

Before Frank could throw another joke at Joe, Iola pulled Joe's arm towards her.

"Come on Joe. Let's get to math before we get detentions." Iola said as Joe gave her one of his famous smiles.

Iola nearly melted seeing that smile, because she secretly had a huge crush on Joe since the first time she'd laid her eyes on him when she was 4. Frank and Chet had had kindergarten together and the Morton's had to baby-sit Frank and Joe for the night since their parents both had important things to tend to. Since Frank and Chet made it such a big point that their younger siblings didn't bother them, Iola and Joe had to play together for the time being.

"Thanks for saving me back there." Joe said as Iola and him walked up the steps of the school into the crowded hallway full of students trying to scramble to their classes.

"No problem. I know how big brothers can be like." Iola said with a smile that lit up her pixie features.

Just as Joe and Iola was about to get to the door of their first period class, Joe and another student who was getting something out of his backpack, collided, sending the other student's belongings scattered all over the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Joe said as he knelt down to pick up the other guy's things.

The person Joe bumped into was a sandy haired boy who didn't talk much. Joe recognized him as George Turner from elementary school. George used to be on his little league soccer team, but after 6th grade, he never saw George around much. He remembered George as a very out-going kid, but after his parents divorced, he hadn't seen George around much.

Joe handed George his belongings with a warm smile, but George just glared at Joe and snatched his things back.

"What's wrong with him?" Iola said with a sad look on her face. "It was just an accident."

"I don't know, probably just a bad day. Let's just get to our seats before Mrs. Wilcox gives us detentions." Joe said with a scowl before letting Iola enter the room first and getting to their seats for another boring day of math.

Since the 2nd bell hadn't rung yet, Joe turned to his right to talk to Iola until Mrs. Wilcox came in.

"Okay class, quiet down. Please take out your homework for me to stamp." Mrs. Wilcox said as she took out her red pen which was supposedly a stamp to her, but really just her signature on their homework.

Joe and Iola took out their homework with Iola's a lot neater than Joe's.

"Joseph, what have I told you about homework that is too illegible to read?" Mrs. Wilcox said with scrutiny as Joe blushed.

"Sorry Mrs. Wilcox. These math problems were just really hard to figure out so I guess my work is a little disorganized." Joe said when Mrs. Wilcox gave him a small smile.

"Joseph, next time have a scratch paper handy so your work will be a little neater." She said with Joe nodding in response.

Mrs. Wilcox moved on to George who sat behind Joe, but George didn't seem to have his homework done.

"George, where is your homework? This is the second time this week that you haven't brought in your homework." Mrs. Wilcox said which seemed to anger George.

"Well I'm sorry Mrs. Wilcox but some people have better things to do than homework." George said while rolling his eyes.

"Hey, that's no way to talk to a teacher." Joe said as he turned around to look at George who was staring daggers at him.

"I can handle this Joseph. Can you please turn back around?" Mrs. Wilcox said sternly, but lightly. "And George, go to the principle's office immediately!"

"What did I do?" George said, throwing his fist into his desk which startled everybody. "This is fucking stupid! I'm outta here, and I'm never coming back." He said as he stood up to leave the room, but out of Joe's strange impulses, he stood up and grabbed onto George's arm.

"Wait George, what's wrong?" Joe asked, but the next thing he knew, he was unexpectedly gripped by his wrist and flung hard over a desk and into a shelf.

All he heard of a crack before he went into oblivion.

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_**A/N: Hey people, yes I just haddd to write this story cuz like... I HAD THE BIGGEST URGE TO! Well here's another story I'm gonna start (I swear I'll update now), and I hope you'll review to tell me the goods, the bads, and should I update cuz I really need some feedback motivation. Well thank you for reading and REALLY hoping you'll review :). **_

_**Love always,**_

_**Lgbabyblu**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN: WOW, thanks for all the reviews people! I want to personally thank you all for the support :)**_

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Iola screamed in shock along with a few other people.

"Joe!" Iola said fearfully as she ran to Joe's side.

Joe was lying flat on the ground in-between a desk and a shelf.

A crowd was forming around Joe as Iola pushed herself forward to kneel in front of Joe.

"Someone call an ambulance and someone tell Frank what happened!" Iola shouted as a brunette haired girl went to the classroom phone and a stocky blond haired boy ran out of the classroom. "Joe. Oh Joe, wake up." Iola said fearfully as she stroked Joe's hair.

Joe moaned at the touch and slightly moved his head towards Iola's palm.

"Joe, wake up. Open your eyes. Please." Iola said Joe slowly opened his eyes before closing them again with a moan. "Shhhh, its okay. Just stay awake."

"Joe?" Frank said as he frantically ran into the classroom.

Frank looked around the room before eyeing on the group of people around someone.

He quickly pushed through the crowd and kneeled down next to Iola.

"Iola, what happened?" Frank asked as he took off his jacket before putting it behind Joe's head.

"A boy name George was very upset about something and had an argument with the teacher. He walked up to leave, but Joe stopped him so he flung Joe into the desk. I think Joe hit his head on the ground of shelf when he slid across the desk." Iola said as Joe began to move again.

Frank put a hand on Joe's chest to stop him from moving.

"Don't move Joe. You have a head injury." Frank said as Joe opened his eyes before a confused look crossed his face.

"Frank? What are you doing here?" Joe asked before looking at everyone who was staring at him. "Why am I on the floor?"

"You hit your head. Walter came to my chem class and told me what happened." Frank said, referring the stocky blond boy who was now standing in the back while watching what was going on.

"Walter?" Joe said, just as confused as before.

He thought for a moment of what he remembered before he fell and it all came back to him.

"Where's George?" Joe asked as he tried to get up but winced once his head started pounding and everything started whirling. "Whoa." He said as he tried to steady himself.

"Joe! Stay still!" Frank said in an angry voice that was almost equivalent to their father, Fenton Hardy's intimidating voice. "Until a doctor gives me the okay that you can get up, then you're lying down."

"Doctor? I don't need a doctor!" Joe said fearfully.

If it was anything that scared him, it was a doctor. The second scariest thing would be a hospital. Hospitals always smelled funny and everywhere had something sad around the corner. What was worst was the equipment that they used, especially the needles.

"Don't tell me you don't need a doctor." Frank said as he glared at Joe, but then his gaze changed to a look of sympathy. "It'll be okay." He said as he held onto Joe's hand. "Iola, can you call our parents and tell them to meet us at the Bayport Hospital?" Frank said as Iola nodded before getting up to the phone.

They didn't have to wait long as an ambulance could be heard in the distance. Ten minutes after that, Joe was strapped onto a stretcher and driven to the hospital with Frank by his side.

Frank could feel how nervous his younger brother was getting as they neared the hospital and the nervousness was even more evident once Joe had his examination and cat scan. It was kind of silly though. Joe was never really scared of the doctor other than the shots until when Joe had been 8 and he had been 10. Frank was going to the movie theaters with their stocky friend and brother of Iola, Chet and their buff friend Biff. Joe had wanted to tag along, and so Frank had to let him come along. The movie they were watching was a cartoon called, "Revenge of Doctor Mason." The end result was that Joe was very scared of the hospital ever since, even up to his teen years.

"I don't believe it. I don't wanna do bed rest, even for an hour." Joe complained as he sat in his hospital bed, with his arms crossed at his chest.

Frank chuckled along with his parents who had arrived immediately after they had reached the hospital.

"And I'll make you alphabet soup when you go home." Laura said as she sat on the hospital bed with her baby, while giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"With all the letters?" Joe asked childishly.

"And with extra vowels." Laura grinned as Joe rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"This stuff the doctor gave me makes me feel too sleepy." Joe yawned, putting his aching head on his mom's shoulder. "And he wants me to stay awake for the next two hours."

"Well if you want a major migraine, I wouldn't mind not giving you anything for that noggin of yours." Doctor Bates, the family doctor said as he entered the room.

Joe smiled sheepishly at his doctor as he gave Doctor Bates a small wave.

"Didn't I tell you I didn't want to see you again while I was at work?" Doctor Bates joked as he looked at his clip board.

"Well you know… I just missed seeing you." Joe said as Doctor Bates chuckled.

"You missed the hospital? I thought you were scared of the hospital." Doctor Bates said as Joe shrugged.

"As long as you don't come near me with a needle." Joe said defensively.

"Joseph." Laura said sternly.

"That's all right Joseph. I'm a little scared of needles myself." Doctor Bates said with a wink.

He checked over his clipboard again, writing down a few notes of how well Joe was responding during their conversation. He wasn't slurring his words, or looking much confused, and that was always a good thing.

"So what's the diagnosis this time Doctor?" Fenton, Joe's father asked, joining into the teasing.

"Well he has a small concussion, but other than that, I wouldn't worry too much about that hard head of his. I do recommend that you keep him awake for another hour, bed rest for at least a day, and nothing too physical for a week." Doctor Bates said as Joe put a sour face on his face. "If you have any problems at all such as faintness or extreme migraines, call me. Other than that, you may go to the desk outside and sign out." He said as he headed towards the door. "If you may excuse me, I need to see another patient."

"Thank you." Joe said as he waved good bye to Doctor Bates as he left.

Joe yawned again as he threw his legs over the bed to stand up.

"Ow." Joe said as he felt someone poke him in the arm.

"Don't worry bro, I'll keep you awake." Frank smirked as Joe rubbed his arm while mumbling something about a no good brother.

"Joseph Hardy?" A nurse said as they neared the door.

"Yes?" Joe said as a wheelchair got pushed into the room.

"A wheelchair?" Joe said with his mouth open.

"Hospital orders." The nurse said as Frank took the wheelchair from her.

"I can wheel him to the door, thank you." Frank as the nurse walked away. "Ready for a ride?" He asked as Joe crossed his arms with a stern look on his face.

"No." Joe said stubbornly.

"Joseph." Fenton said before Joe finally sat down in the wheelchair, but with a scowl on his face.

As Joe waited for his mom to finish signing him out, he took his time sitting to think a little bit. His head hurt, but he was still thinking about George. He just wanted to talk to George for a minute. Guilt washed over him. He should have kept in touch with George. They were friends when they were younger after all.

"_George, what happened to you?"_

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**AN: Personally, I think this is a really crummy chapter. I think I'm going braindead or something, although I did write most of this in the middle of the night because I didn't feel like sleep... but don't worry, I just needed to get through this boring part first before something interesting :) I'm hoping for some constructive reviews like always. Flame all you want as long as there is a reason why. Thank you!**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Lgbabyblu **  
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